Recently I had work accepted as part of a student response to the 'Facing Extinction' 2014 show held at the University for the Creative Arts in Surrey, U.K. The show was a recreation of the iconic piece created by Gustav Metzger, 'Mass Media'. The works by students were on display for the duration of the conference which Gustav was in attendance for.
Installation view of the work 'Mass Media' 2014
The opportunity to hear Gustav speak, and also the privilege of being able to present the work I created to him in person was a great experience. The show was essentially about the challenges faced on a global level, regarding man made issues that result in a negative impact on the planet and humanity as a whole.
My piece 'For The Sake Of The Species' was selected to be shown. The work was constructed as a comment on the increasing medical interventions needed to aid conception. Utilising the medium of photography to present the work - like an archive- rather than showing the original object. I hoped that the title in conjunction with the image resulted in work that was thought provoking and confrontational.
For The Sake Of The Species # 2 & # 3
Installation View
Photographer Stephen White
'The object in the image uses photography and drawing as a means of re-telling a series of discarded forms. The object could be viewed as some form of relic, an artefact from a past civilisation that no longer exists.
The form acts as a comment on declining sperm counts across the world. A recognised cause is the addition of female hormones into dairy herds to increase milk production. The positioning of the materials used allude to the scientific mechanical interventions that aid conception.
It also is reminiscent of the universal sign for poison or danger' suggesting that humanities extinction may come from within.
' The conference hosted by UCA's Fine Art department and Gustav Metzger, will be a series of presentations by artists, scientists, ecologists and other specialist academics focusing on immediate and long term action against mass extinction.' (Exhibition information)
http://www.gustavmetzgerucafarnham.wordpress.com
Again, students have been asked to put forward proposals for interactive or performative work for the duration of the conference. This presents an intriguing possibility for me - I have been toying with the idea of a durational 'performative work' for some time - this opportunity will be a portal for my ideas to move through. Accepted or not I intend to use this to develop the work using an alternative methodology.
19th May 2014
Last week Gustav returned to the university to discuss the show, specifically the work made in response, and most interestingly his thoughts around the forth coming conference. His spoke about the university as a conduit for his ideas to move out from like a 'ripple effect' and he wanted this to happen as quickly as possible. There is a real sense of urgency in him that the messages around this subject 'Facing Extinction' should be disseminated as quickly as possible.
He spoke of the' weight of history' and the heavy burden we bear from this, although of some considerable age and quite frail this man has a core of steel running through his veins. He is an incredible inspirational presence.
22nd May 2014
The last few days have been spent thinking around the ideas spoken about at the meeting with Gustav. The work I hope to produce as a response to this is very much an experiment - but without testing I will not know...so with that in mind here is the macquette; I decided to make it full size.
The focus of my thoughts whilst in the making process is very much around the idea of 'the weight of history' how these events from the past are part of us - a heavy reminder of historical atrocities - the object is made from steel wire, is is a difficult thing to handle as the steel is sharp and cuts easily.
The working title for this piece is; 'The Weight of History Garment'.
9th June 2014
The conference took place over the weekend just gone. It was a great opportunity to hear a range of speakers - experts in their fields talk around the subject of mass extinction. This was a follow on from the 'Facing Extinction' exhibition at the University last March. We witnessed a series of engaging presentations and performances by artists, scientists, ecologists and specialist academics. The conference presented a platform to listen and speak about what action can be taken to challenge the scale and scope of problems we currently face. How can artists articulate and shape a program of action? The weekend was a mind expanding experience and a fantastic opportunity to meet and speak with an inspiring group of people.
Regarding my own work spoken about above, this is completed, however I did not feel ready to show the work at the conference.
Gustav spoke about his piece shown above in the lecture theatre - Drop on a Hotplate (1968) in the context of how he thought this could be related to the themes that were being discussed over the weekend.
13/08/14
The garment is finished - looking forward to completing the action when I regain access to the studio spaces at University in September. This will be the direction of my work at the start of the next academic year.
21/10/14
Sketch book ideas. The working title for the next stage of its development is 'The Ark'. I am currently researching for a location in which I can set up a cross medium installation - wanting to move into performance and experiment with filling the auditory void.
